Glassware and Media Prep Technician - Plant Biology Institute in Oxford

At the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT), we’re on a mission to translate scientific discovery into real world impact. We bring together visionary scientists, technologists, engineers, researchers, educators and innovators to tackle humanity’s greatest challenges in four transformative areas: Health, Medical Science & Generative Biology, Food Security & Sustainable Agriculture, Climate Change & Managing CO₂, and Artificial Intelligence & Robotics.

This is ambitious work - work that demands curiosity, courage, and a relentless drive to make a difference. At EIT, you’ll join a community built on excellence, innovation, tenacity, trust, and collaboration, where bold ideas become real-world breakthroughs. Together, we push boundaries, embrace complexity, and create solutions to scale ideas from lab to society.

Welcome to the Plant Biology Institute: The Plant Biology Institute, headed by Professor Steve Kelly, is a key part of the Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) Oxford. The institute aims to develop impactful and commercially sustainable solutions for improving global food production and planetary health through pioneering plant science research. The Plant Biology Institute will unite world-class researchers who are focused on expanding the frontiers of plant science. Our research is focused on enhancing our ability to feed the planet while simultaneously improving the climate and ecosystem outcomes of food production.

By embedding cutting‑edge plant science research within an organisation that is focused on solving global challenges at scale, we aim to accelerate the timeline from discovery to global impact. Areas of exploration include:

• Improved plant productivity, both indoors and outside.
• Reduced reliance on inputs including water, fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides.
• Novel decarbonised plant‑based production platforms for food and medicines.
• Advanced technologies that speed up discovery and deployment in plants.

Researchers will have access to state‑of‑the‑art laboratory and plant growth facilities and have opportunities to collaborate with experts at the forefront of research on AI, automation, and generative biology across the EIT ecosystem. They will also work with global leaders in market development, commercialisation, and impact creation. The Plant Biology Institute has long‑term substantial funding to support the unique scale and ambition of its vision.

Your Role: The Ellison Institute of Technology (EIT) is seeking a highly organised and detail‑oriented Glassware Technician to support laboratory operations within its Plant Biosciences (PBI) research programme. This role is responsible for the preparation and sterilisation of culture media and solution, cleaning of laboratory glassware, and operation of glassware washers, autoclaves and related equipment in accordance with approved SOPs and safety standards. The successful candidate will maintain accurate records, monitor stock levels, support regulatory compliance (including COSHH and GM requirements), and ensure high standards of housekeeping and Good Laboratory Practice.

By providing reliable technical support and maintaining a consistent supply of sterile materials and consumables, this position is integral to the smooth running of laboratory and plant research workflows and the delivery of high‑quality scientific outcomes. Working in a dynamic and fast‑paced research environment, the successful candidate will demonstrate strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to prioritise effectively. With practical laboratory experience, they will play a vital role in enabling high‑quality research by delivering reliable technical support and maintaining operational efficiency across PBI laboratories.

Your Responsibilities:

• Prepare a wide range of microbiological and plant tissue culture media, buffers, agar plates, and specialised growth solutions in accordance with approved SOPs and research requirements.
• Operate autoclaves and other sterilisation equipment, performing routine checks and promptly reporting faults.
• Ensure correct preparation, handling, labelling, storage, and distribution of media to prevent contamination and maintain quality standards.
• Maintain accurate records of media preparation, sterilisation cycles, batch numbers, and stock levels to ensure regulatory compliance.
• Assist with completing and updating a wide range of safety documentation.
• Manage and monitor stock levels of reagents and consumables, conducting regular expiry checks and ordering as required.
• Maintain safe handling, segregation, and disposal of contaminated and non‑contaminated materials in line with biosafety, GM regulations, COSHH, and institutional health & safety policies.
• Conduct routine laboratory cleaning and waste collection and disposal.
• Support laboratory workflows by ensuring a consistent and timely supply of media and materials.
• Collect, wash, sterilise (autoclave), and restock laboratory glassware to maintain operational efficiency.
• Clean, maintain, and report issues with media preparation equipment, including autoclaves, refrigerators, storage facilities, and automated plate pourers.
• Troubleshoot and resolve quality control issues related to media preparation and sterilisation processes.
• Maintain high standards of housekeeping and good laboratory practice (GLP).
• Provide technical support to scientific staff, assisting with experimental support and responding to research requests.

Requirements Essential Skills, Qualifications & Experience:

• GCSE’s or equivalent.
• Experience in laboratory support, technical services, or a related role within an academic, research, or industrial laboratory is required, with plant handling experience desirable but not essential.
• Ability to follow SOPs accurately and consistently.
• Practical experience preparing, sterilising, and handling laboratory media, buffers, and solutions (e.g. plant tissue culture, microbiological, or biochemical media).
• Strong understanding of aseptic techniques and contamination control.
• Knowledge of health & safety regulations, including COSHH, biohazard handling, autoclave safety, and laboratory quality assurance systems.
• Aware of regulatory requirements associated with GM organisms (training can be provided if required).

Desirable Knowledge, Skills and Experience:

• Ability to safely perform manual handling tasks and operate laboratory equipment such as automated culture media plate pourer.
• Strong organisational and time‑management skills, with the ability to prioritise tasks in a busy research environment.
• Basic IT skills for maintaining records, inventory, and maintenance logs.
• Willingness to undertake additional training to expand technical expertise.
• Well organised, able to prioritise tasks, and comfortable managing multiple responsibilities in a busy lab setting.

Benefits Our Benefits:

• Salary dependent on experience + travel allowance + bonus
• Enhanced holiday + options to buy additional days
• Pension
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Private Medical Insurance
• Hospital Cash Plan
• Therapy Services
• Perk Box
• Electric Car Scheme
• Childcare benefit

Working Together – What It Involves:

You must have the right to work permanently in the UK with a willingness to travel as necessary. In certain cases, we can consider sponsorship, and this will be assessed on a case‑by‑case basis. You will live in, or within easy commuting distance of, Oxford (or be willing to relocate).